Chocolate Stout Cupcakes Recipes

Steps:

• Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese with butter until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, and beat until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Beat in vanilla and salt. Frosting can be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two standard 12-cup muffin tins with baking cups. In a large heatproof bowl, whisk together flour, 2 cups sugar, baking soda, and salt.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in cocoa powder, then stout. Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat; stir into flour mixture just until combined. Stir in eggs and sour cream.
• Divide batter evenly among cups, filling each two-thirds of the way. Bake, rotating once, until cupcakes spring back and a tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks; let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, peel wide strips of lime zest with a vegetable peeler. Thinly slice zest into 1/8-inch-wide strips. Coat strips in remaining 2 tablespoons sugar; cut into 1/2-inch-long pieces.
• Spread cupcakes with 2 cups frosting (reserve remaining for another use). Top each with 4 gold hearts (to form a shamrock) and 1 piece of sugared lime zest (to make a stem). Serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a cupcake or muffin pan with 24 regular-size cupcake liners.
• Place the stout and butter in a medium-size saucepan and whisk together on medium heat until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat. Sift the cocoa powder into a medium-size bowl and add the sugar. Slowly whisk into the stout mixture. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla and lightly whisk until smooth. Add this mixture to the saucepan and whisk thoroughly (it may appear lumpy). Sift the flour and baking soda together in another small bowl and then add it to the saucepan, mixing a final time until the color is even.
• Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters full with batter and bake until the cakes spring back after touching, about 27 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in their pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
• To assemble: Pipe the frosting onto cooled cupcakes using a large plain tip. Dust with cocoa powder if preferred.
• Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric stand mixer until pale. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the Irish liqueur in a steady stream. Slowly add the confectioners' sugar and continue beating until a creamy consistency is achieved.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
• Bring stout and butter to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes. Set aside, stirring occasionally, until butter has melted. Mix in cocoa powder until smooth.
• Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
• Mix eggs with sour cream in a large bowl using an electric mixer on low until well combined. Add beer mixture slowly, followed by flour mixture, until batter is smooth.
• Divide batter between the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 17 to 19 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Leave the oven on.
• Meanwhile, lay bacon strips on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Baste with 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup, covering both sides.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Turn bacon over, baste with remaining syrup, and bake until browned and crisp, about 8 minutes more, watching to make sure not to burn.
• Remove bacon and lay strips on parchment paper so they don't stick to foil upon cooling. Let cool completely, 10 to 15 minutes. Chop into pieces.
• Combine butter and powdered sugar in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in cream cheese until smooth. Beat in maple syrup. Frost cooled cupcakes and top with bacon bits.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place foil or paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
• In large bowl, beat all cupcake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Divide batter among muffin cups.
• Bake 18 to 23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove cupcakes from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely.
• In large bowl, beat shortening and butter with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating until combined. Add vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the liqueur; beat until blended. Add enough of the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons liqueur, 1 teaspoon at a time, beating until frosting is light and fluffy.
• Spoon frosting into decorating bag fitted with #1M star tip; pipe frosting in circular pattern on tops of cupcakes.

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the muffin tin with cupcake liners.
• Put the butter, cocoa and stout in a microwave-safe bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and microwave until the butter melts, about 2 minutes. Whisk to combine.
• Meanwhile, whisk the granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the sour cream, vanilla and eggs together in a small bowl.
• Whisk the cocoa mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir in the sour cream mixture just until combined, being careful to avoid over-mixing. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tins, filling each about three-quarters full, or about 1/4-cup per cupcake. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes completely in the tin on a cooling rack, about 15 minutes. Remove from the liners and return the cupcakes to the rack.
• For the frosting: Place the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg and egg whites in a large metal mixing bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly until the sugar melts and the mixture is very thin and warm. Remove the bowl from the heat and transfer to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Continue beating on low speed until cool.
• With the mixer set to medium speed, beat the butter a few pieces at a time. The mixture may curdle before coming together. Using a spoon, offset spatula or piping bag, dollop, spread or pipe about 1/2 cup of the frosting on each cupcake. Occasionally beat the frosting to maintain the smooth texture. Decorate with sugar flowers if using and serve.